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    Chiara Is Late for Swimming

    being late and having to explain whya swimming poolCEFR A2
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    Chiara loves swimming. She goes to the swimming pool every Tuesday. Today is Tuesday. She wakes up at seven o'clock. She looks at her phone. She has a message from her friend Marco. Marco says, "Chiara, don't forget swimming today!" Chiara smiles. She gets up and goes to the bathroom. She washes her face and brushes her teeth. Then she goes to the kitchen. She makes some breakfast. She eats some bread and drinks a glass of water. She feels ready. She picks up her swimming bag and puts on her shoes. Chiara walks to the swimming pool. The pool is not far from her home. It takes about fifteen minutes to walk there. But today, something goes wrong.

    She sees a cat on the road. The cat is small and white. It looks . Chiara stops walking. She tries to help the cat. She picks it up . She looks for a safe place for it. She finds a garden near a small building. She puts the cat down . The cat walks into the garden. Chiara feels happy. But then she looks at her watch. She is very ! She runs to the swimming pool. She is out of breath when she . Chiara opens the door of the pool. Her swimming teacher, Mr. Hassan, is standing near the water.

    He looks at her. "Chiara, you are twenty minutes ," he says. Chiara feels . "I am very sorry," she says. "I found a small cat on the road. It looked , so I stopped to help it." Mr. Hassan listens. He does not look angry. He smiles a little. "That is a kind reason," he says. "But please try to be on time next week." Chiara nods. "I will," she says. She changes her clothes quickly. She jumps into the pool. The water feels cold and wonderful. She swims fast and forgets about being . After the , Marco laughs and says, "Next time, tell the cat to wait!"

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    Key Vocabulary

    How to use these cards
    1. Read each word and its meaning.
    2. Tap “Cover the meanings”, then tap a card to check yourself.
    3. Tap “Quick quiz” for a short test. Tap “I know this” on cards you have learned.
    late
    /leɪt/
    adjective

    arriving after the expected or correct time

    "Chiara is late because she stopped to help a cat."

    scared
    /skeəd/
    adjective

    feeling afraid or frightened

    "The small cat looked scared on the road."

    carefully
    /ˈkeə.fə.li/
    adverb

    doing something with attention so nothing goes wrong

    "She picks up the cat carefully so it does not fall."

    gently
    /ˈdʒent.li/
    adverb

    in a soft, calm, and kind way

    "She puts the cat down gently in the garden."

    embarrassed
    /ɪmˈbær.əst/
    adjective

    feeling uncomfortable because you did something wrong or silly

    "Chiara feels embarrassed when the teacher says she is late."

    lesson
    /ˈles.ən/
    noun

    a period of time when you learn or practice something

    "After the swimming lesson, Marco laughs with Chiara."

    arrive
    /əˈraɪv/
    verb

    to reach a place after traveling

    "She is out of breath when she arrives at the pool."

    breathe
    /briːð/
    verb

    to take air into and out of your body

    "Chiara runs so fast that it is hard to breathe when she gets there."

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    Useful Phrases

    How to use these cards
    1. Read each phrase and its meaning.
    2. Tap “Cover the meanings”, then tap a card to check yourself.
    3. Tap “Quick quiz” for a short test. Tap “I know this” on cards you have learned.

    out of breath

    breathing very fast because you have been running or working hard

    "Chiara runs to the pool and is out of breath when she arrives."

    look for

    to try to find someone or something

    "She looks for a safe place to put the cat."

    goes wrong

    something does not happen the way you planned

    "Chiara is walking to the pool, but something goes wrong."

    don't forget

    used to remind someone to remember something

    "Marco says, "Don't forget swimming today!""

    try to

    to make an effort to do something

    "She tries to help the scared cat on the road."

    on time

    arriving or happening at the correct or expected time

    "Mr. Hassan says, "Please try to be on time next week.""

    feel ready

    to feel prepared to do something

    "After breakfast, Chiara feels ready to go to the pool."

    a kind reason

    a reason for doing something that shows you care about others

    "Mr. Hassan says stopping to help the cat is a kind reason for being late."

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